St. Joseph the Worker School

We and our daughter have nothing but great things to say about this school. The teachers put in extra effort and time, the principal knows every child's name, and they continue to have worthwhile activities and clubs that enrich students' lives. It is a small but diverse school in a great neighborhood, which is hard to come by.

Irving has a great history but the current regime leaves a lot to be desired... The office staff is exceptionally rude...The principal is micromanaging and delusional about what goes on in her school...she is two faced and will smile and nod to you while she is making terrible decisions that detract from and diminish the quality of education at Irving...She and her office staff are rude, impatient, condescending, unaccommodating. She is not in keeping with the traditional high standards of Irving. Most of the staff with strong integrity has retired or left and the remaining staff are kept silent about incidents and conditions and odd behavior by fear of losing their jobs...she has shut out parents to maintain the strained stranglehold she has on the school as any self respecting average citizen would observe the absurdities of her rule and she would be undone...And indeed many many parents have observed these actions and commented. It is hard to believe she has not been censured. There must be something wrong at the level above her...in the management of Dubuque's elementary principals to allow her to continue and to make recent terrible decisions like switching the "good"/successful principals out of the schools where they were successful and leaving the Meehans where they are...it all has an air of Machiavellian decision making to instill fear to keep control and dismantle the strong neighborhood cultures at the more successful schools...

Great energy in this school. Much thought goes in to the programs. All schools need to remember that these are not THEIR kids, they're OURS. Parents are their "customers", so we need to be assertive about what our children need and then follow through.

In our experience, Lincoln, is an excellent school. The teachers are very welcoming and engaging with the kids. Communication to the parents is great. My kids love to go to school! I feel as though they learn so much and definitely get the extra help if and when it is needed.